Summer is off to a flying start around here. Relatives have visited from far-flung locales and I have made some short trips, mostly to upstate New York and the Berkshires to visit family and friends. I'm back in the office today after about 10 days of this madness, and it's been a surprisingly peaceful day so far which I hope I haven't jinxed by saying so.

New things happening here at work, too: We've hired a new staff member who will be starting in a couple of weeks. I've gone through formal testing for my deficient attention issues and have been officially dubbed deficient, for which I now plan to pursue accommodations under federal law. Next week Boss #1 will be moving to another office suite in the building and Boss #2 will move into Boss #1's newly-vacated digs, at which point I will officially report to Boss #2, whose strings will be entirely controlled by Boss #1. I've submitted my cover letter and C.V. for another position at Big U, and this time it's something I think I'm uniquely suited for, although I am not at all optimistic that I will seriously be considered for it. And finally, my self-esteem as it pertains to my professional abilities is at an all-time low.

Thank you. Thank you very much. *bowing*

You know, I used to only feel crummy about myself in my non-professional life, so it feels like kind of a big milestone to have been able to carry that over to my work life, too. It wasn't easy, and there are many people to thank for this, but unfortunately there isn't enough time to thank them all, so I'll just say it has been an incredible experience and I appreciate all of you who have stuck by me during this exciting time.

For those of you who have stuck around this long, I'm happy to share the news that I will be seeing an Earth, Wind & Fire concert tomorrow night which will also feature Chicago (the band, not the ... nevermind). Tonight I am having dinner with my buddy whose little boy died in January, and I'm all packed up to stay overnight 'cause her hubby is away on business and, well, I'm ready just in case. I think she's going to force me to watch "Twilight" because she has just finished the books, so I'm hoping I'll like the movie better the second time. Either way, I'm looking forward to a nice girls' night. Oh, and she's cooking, so I pretty much just have to show up -- my favorite kind of night!

What else? Eh, that's about it. Fill me in on your summer adventures, won't you?